Stepping into a research area marked by controversy and fraud, Harvard University scientists said Tuesday they are trying to clone human embryos to create stem cells they hope can be used one day to help conquer a host of diseases. "We are convinced that work with embryonic stem cells holds enormous promise," said Harvard provost Dr. Steven Hyman. The privately funded work is aimed at devising treatments for such ailments as diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, sickle-cell anemia and leukemia. Harvard is only the second American university to announce its venture into the challenging, politically charged research field. The University of California, San Francisco, began efforts at embryo cloning a few years ago, only to lose a top scientist to England. It has since resumed its work but is not as far along as experiments already under way by the Harvard group... http://abcnews.go.com

At least 30 deaths have been reported across Iraq on Tuesday as the prime minister promised to crack down on escalating sectarian violence. A U.S. soldier was killed in Baghdad when a bomb struck the convoy he was riding in, the U.S. Command said A car bomb exploded outside a Shiite funeral in Baghdad, killing at least four people and wounding 20. Gunmen also killed one student, injured another and kidnapped three more at Baghdad University's business school. Meanwhile, Iraq's prime minister promised to release 2,500 prisoners and to press ahead with a security plan aimed at ending rampant sectarian and militia violence as he sought to quell public anger over a series of brazen attacks. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/24/iraq/main541815.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_541815

Determined to win the Cold War, the CIA kept quiet about the whereabouts of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in the 1950s for fear he might expose undercover anticommunist efforts in West Germany, according to documents released Tuesday. The 27,000 pages released by the National Archives are among the largest post-World War II declassifications by the Central Intelligence Agency. They offer a window into the shadowy world of U.S. intelligence — and the efforts to use former Nazi war criminals as spies, sometimes to detrimental effect. The war criminals "peddled hearsay and gossip, whether to escape retribution for past crimes, or for mercenary gain, or for political agendas not necessarily compatible with American national interests," Robert Wolfe, an expert on German history and former archivist at the National Archives, said at a news briefing announcing the document release. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/06/world/main1689576.shtml?source=RSS&attr=World_1689576

A package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to curb its nuclear program reportedly includes a way to help the country repair its fleet of aging civilian aircraft, which for years has been hindered by sanctions. Under strict sanctions, Iran has long been unable to get spare parts for its fleet of more than 25-year-old Boeing planes directly from the U.S. airplane maker. With Boeing Co. barred from even communicating with the country, Iran can't have the type of technical discussions that most airlines rely on to keep a fleet healthy and safe. Joel Johnson, an international trade analyst with the Teal Group, said the ban has at times made it hard for Iran to be informed of potentially life-saving safety issues. Iran has frequently complained that the U.S. ban on parts has undermined safety, and has blamed the ban for several deadly crashes. It's an issue some U.S. officials have raised at certain points. ...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2045911

The Canadian government's C$227 billion ($204 billion) budget was passed in the House of Commons after opposition lawmakers accidentally failed to stand up to debate the spending plan. ``It passed with unanimous consent,'' Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters outside the House of Commons in Ottawa today. Legislators were supposed to hold a debate and final vote on the spending plan after Parliament's finance committee completed its review. By remaining seated in the House of Commons, opposition lawmakers allowed the bill to pass ``in a matter of minutes,'' said Libby Davies, the New Democratic Party member responsible for legislation. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government needs support from at least one opposition party to pass legislation. Under Canadian parliamentary tradition, a defeated budget would be grounds for new elections. ...http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aRtGywkHo2_0&refer=home

Evidence has emerged U.S. Marines deliberately killed an unarmed Iraqi civilian in April in the town of Hamdaniya, CNN reported Tuesday. A military source with knowledge of a U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation told the network the victim, identified by Knight Ridder as Hashim Ibrahim Awad, was dragged from his home and shot by Marines, who placed a shovel and AK-47 next to him to make it appear he was an insurgent. "They went after someone, not necessarily this person, but they set out to get someone," the officer said of the findings. Seven Marines and a Navy medical corpsman are being held in the brig at California's Camp Pendleton, and four other Marines have been confined to base in connection with the probe. ...http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060606-082115-3385r